Apricus naturally had a believable lie prepared, after all he was not insane to the point he would cut his arm off and stab himself for no apparent reason. Now all that was left to do was convincingly mold the lie by adding a bit of the truth as well as extra details. Usually anyone would be suspicious of someone with a calm expression after going through such an experience, however Genso was an observant man so he already had a rough idea of Apricus's personality and behavior, so Apricus simply had a calm and relaxed expression as he retold the events.
"Everything was fine when we entered the forest, we evaded threats using Atlas's and Chloe's ability, so we were in perfect shape, however when we arrived at the camp, everyone was dead and the camp was completely destroyed even the pond nearby had vanished. So we just stood there in shock however a couple of seconds later something unidentifiable instantly attacked and beheaded Atlas, we were slow to react so it managed to kill Chloe as well, that was when I tried to fight back, but it managed to gravely injure me, so I had to use my ability to fly away and that was when I finally lost its pursuit."
Of course the modifications to the truth were not that massive, however there would be no way Genso could trust him to tutor his student if he had told him he ran instantly instead of fighting back. If he couldn't gain the opportunity to train Genso's student then he himself would not be trained, which he was in desperate need of.
So he waited for Genso's response as he was in thought, he finally spoke in his usual grainy voice, mixed with a hint of distress.
"I see, so that's how it is. Well then you are to rest here for the next three days, I need to look into this as well as discuss the issue with the chief, then I will come back with the decision. Until then farewell."
With that Genso exited the room, leaving Apricus alone in thought.
'Seems like he came in person this time or he would have disappeared instantly like usual. Although I do hope that was enough to put my name in the clear'
As Apricus laid back down with that thought he drifted off to sleep, within the embrace of peace and dreams.
Waking up he saw the tray of tools removed, in its place was a bowl of various different fruits such as, oranges, bananas, apples, a grape sized spiky pink fruit, and a coconut along with a plate, knife, fork and spoon. The sky was bright blue with the blazing sun high above, illuminating the world below it. As Apricus got up with a yawn, stretching his body.
Soul users did not necessarily have to care about certain hygiene practices, for example they could envelope their teeth with a bit of their soul to prevent plague, bacteria and bad breath making it quite convenient as they need not brush. So he simply grabbed an apple and started eating, while thinking. 'They can't really expect me to be in this room for three days straight right.'
But they did as Apricus could faintly feel a presence of aura outside the window and door, meaning there was some kind of ability preventing anyone from leaving the room. And so Apricus stayed trapped in the hospital room, only leaving if he needed urgent access to something outside for two more days until finally Genso had come back just like he said he would.
Entering the room Genso had a tired look on his face with eye bags under his eyes and messy hair covering some of his face, however his eyes still carried the same ferocity as it had before, not losing it one bit.
"I hope you've had a good rest over the course of the last three days, although I do need to apologize for trapping you here, I couldn't risk you escaping after all."
Apricus was standing in front of the window, staring out with a neutral expression on his face, his hands placed on the bottom of the window frame. "It's quite alright, but what's the verdict?"
Chuckling Genso simply replied, while staring at Apricus's back. "We investigated, and although we can't verify exact details you are believed to be innocent while the story you told seems to be somewhat accurate, you are free to go and tutor my student, I'll send him here to restaurant I mentioned right now."
Nodding Apricus finally turned away from the window and faced Genso. "I do have a question though, why can't you yourself tutor him on the basics?"
Turning away, Genso walked towards the door as he simply said. "I need to test you of course, and also because it saves me a couple of headaches."
With that he simply disappeared, leaving Apricus alone in the room once again. With a sigh Apricus got up and prepared to head towards the restaurant.
Today was an especially crowded day outside near the merchant sections, mainly due to the fact a couple hundred hunters had come back from a large scouting expedition and had started selling everything they acquired on the expedition, causing quite the stir. There were all kinds of people near these merchant sections, some were Beast Categories others were Demon Categories however most of all they were filled with normal humans.
As Apricus passed through the crowds occasionally looking at stalls for a good deal, he soon reached the restaurant he and Genso had met at previously. The entrance of the restaurant had a couple of Shaded Glider Pigeons littering nearby, Apricus was quite fond of these birds as he had kept one as a pet in his childhood years, and also because the birds themself looked quite pleasing. They were completely black with a mix of grey and white hair on their long noticeable wings, they had sharp beaks and narrow vertical eyes, having rictal bristles near their beaks along with a grey feather crest on the bird's head. As he approached the Shaded Glider Pigeons suddenly flew off, moving on top of the restaurant.
Apricus was not sure what exactly Genso's student looked like but he assumed the kid would have some kind of bodyguard. He also thought Genso would have given a description of Apricus to the kid. So Apricus entered the restaurant and sat in a corner, when he suddenly heard a familiar accent as he turned his head towards the left, he saw the familiar red messy bun, cute face, defined but large breasts, and the white and black uniform.
"Oh hello sir, I didn't think I would see you again, what can I start you with for today?"
Although Apricus was slightly moved by Tyches cuteness, he did not dare show it so while keeping a poker face he simply placed an order. "I'll have a cup of water as well as one cooked fly fish, with the Tarminean Sauce."
Nodding Tyche kindly responded. "Right away sir, your order will be ready in five minutes." With that she walked away, letting Apricus go into thought.
'Hm, I'll assume the kid is around 10 years of age or at the maximum of 12. It'll be a bit troublesome but he is from the streets so he should have a calm composure. I'm not sure how much Genso already taught him but I should probably go over the Soul and Soul abilities, skills, and all three types of techniques as well as categories and rankings. We can worry about weapons and classes another time. Although I'll probably have to train him in the open field near the village just in case.'
As Apricus was going through various methods to train the kid, hoping to not mess this chance up, the food had finally arrived. Escaping from his mind he concentrated on devouring the food and after a while succeeded in doing so, completely filling his stomach. So he simply paid the bill and sat there waiting and growing impatient, after all he had been waiting here for around half an hour, and the kid was supposed to arrive immediately after Genso left the hospital.
After a few more minutes had passed and Apricus idly sat there, in a relaxed but impatient manner, the atmosphere in the restaurant had changed as the door opened and two people walked in. Furthermore based on the change, along with how they carried themselves Apricus suspected the people he was waiting on had finally arrived.